Museum of Fine Arts in Leipzig: sponsors, benefactors and patrons

The fascinating history of this renowned art museum is a story of civic engagement. Back in 1848, when the Leipzig art association opened the municipal museum at the Moritzbastei, the hundred or so works on display were donations from the citizens of Leipzig. And the present-day collection of 3,500 paintings, 1,000 sculptures and 60,000 drawings and prints is largely comprised of gifts from private initiatives and generous patrons.

Maximilian Speck von Sternburg, Alfred Thieme, Adolf Heinrich Schletter, Fritz von Harck, Hans-Peter Bühler, Marion Bühler-Brockhaus: these are the names of people who have shaped the character of the museum for 150 years. The works of the current collection span the period from the late Middle Ages to the present day. These can now be displayed in full in the new 7,000m² museum building, which opened in 2004. There is a particular focus on Old German and Dutch paintings from the 15th to the 17th century, Italian paintings from the 15th to the 18th century, French paintings from the 19th century – including works by Eugène Delacroix, Edgar Degas and Claude Monet – and German paintings from 18th to the 20th century. A whole floor is devoted to comprehensive displays of works by Max Klinger and Max Beckmann. In the Contemporary Painting section, the museum features mainly exhibitions of painters belonging to the Leipziger Schule, such as Bernhard Heisig, Werner Tübke and Wolfgang Mattheuer, as well as extensive collections by the movement's younger generation led by Neo Rauch and Daniel Richter.

From cotton to culture: Leipzig's Baumwollspinnerei

The Baumwollspinnerei, a former cotton mill, is home to 100 artist's studios, eleven galleries, workshops, architects, designers, jewellery and clothes makers, an international dance and choreography centre and much more.

Members of the famous New Leipzig School led by Neo Rauch have also become established here. This former factory complex, continental Europe's biggest cotton mill in the early 20th century, was converted 100 years later into one of the most exciting production and exhibition sites for contemporary art and culture in Europe.

Commerce meets art: Leipzig Exhibition Centre

Leipzig Exhibition Centre is one of the oldest trade fair venues in the world. Trade and change have always been the hallmarks of this city. In the days of East Germany, for example, Leipzig Exhibition Centre served as an important window into the east from the west – and vice versa. The city's new exhibition centre is also an outstanding forum for the arts: entire rooms, wallpaper, walls, staircases, sculptures and other works of art have been designed by more than 20 celebrated artists especially for the trade fair venue and permanently integrated into the building.

A student pub with a difference: Auerbachs Keller

In 1525 the physician and professor Heinrich Stromer von Auerbach opened a wine bar in the cellar of his house for university students. As he aptly put it: "Wine is an excellent prophylactic against many ailments, if administered correctly". Today Auerbachs Keller is the most famous restaurant in Leipzig and is also known around the world. One of the most popular wine bars in the city in the 16th century, Auerbachs Keller primarily owes its fame to Johann Wolfgang von Goethe who spent time here while studying in Leipzig. Since it opened Auerbachs Keller has served an estimated 91,980,000 guests.

Luther, Bach and St. Thomas's choir: St. Thomas' Church

From 1212, the Augustine canon seminary in Leipzig was built on the foundations of an even older church. The Romanesque chancel was given its Gothic look in 1355, and between 1482 and 1496 the church was converted into a late-Gothic hall church, which has been largely preserved with the exception of the tower built in 1702. Martin Luther preached here at the start of the Reformation on Whitsun in 1539. Johann Sebastian Bach, the most famous cantor of St. Thomas's choir, worked at the church from 1723 until his death in 1750. The celebrated Thomanenchor was first mentioned in records from 1254, making it one of the oldest boys' choirs in Germany.

Bach Museum, Leipzig

The Bach Museum in Leipzig, which reopened in 2010, is a testament to 21st century museum culture.

It presents the life and legacy of Johann Sebastian Bach and his family in an interactive multimedia exhibition covering an area of 750 square metres. A highlight is the treasure room, where original Bach manuscripts and other precious items are on display. The small pleasure garden, the audio room and Café Gloria make ideal places to linger and relax.

Opening times:

Tuesday-Sunday 10am-6pm

Mendelssohn House

Mendelssohn House, the only museum of its kind in the world, is located at Mendelssohn's last surviving private address in Leipzig.

The late Biedermeier period apartment has housed a museum since 1997. It was first occupied by the family in 1845 and has been restored to look as it would have done in the musician's lifetime. The living room features the composer's original furniture as well as countless watercolours and letters. Concerts are held in the music room on most Sundays at 11am.

Opening times:

daily 10am-6pm

GRASSI Museum of Applied Arts

In March 2012 the GRASSI Museum of Applied Arts in Leipzig opened the third part of its new permanent exhibition.

Entitled 'From art nouveau to the present day', the exhibition features more than 1,500 fascinating artefacts from art nouveau, art deco, functionalism and post-1950 East German design. Joining the existing exhibitions 'From antiquity to historicism' and 'Asian Art. Impulses for Europe', this third section marks the completion of a collection that offers an unparalleled journey through 3,000 years of art history.

Opening times:

Tuesday-Sunday & public holidays 10am-6pm

'Runde Ecke' Stasi Museum

The building on the 'Runde Ecke' (round corner) in Leipzig was for many years a tool of oppression in the former East Germany.

On 4 December 1989 this Leipzig Stasi HQ was occupied by 'Monday demonstrators' in what proved to be a decisive moment in the peaceful revolution. Today the building houses the 'Runde Ecke' memorial site – a museum that looks back at the history, structure and methods of the GDR's secret police in its permanent exhibition 'Stasi – Power and Banality'.

Opening times:

daily 10am-6pm

Forum of Contemporary History

This museum in central Leipzig provides a space to engage with and reflect upon contemporary German history from the end of World War II to the present day.

The modern, visitor-friendly exhibition looks back at the history of political repression, opposition and resistance, and at the peaceful revolution that unfolded in a divided Germany and at everyday life in the GDR. The exhibition also recounts the reunification process of the past twenty years.

Opening times:

Tuesday-Friday 9am-6pm, Saturday & Sunday 10am-6pm

Monument to the Battle of the Nations in Leipzig

With its striking silhouette and its height of 91 metres, the Monument to the Battle of the Nations, one of Leipzig’s most well-known landmarks, ranks among Europe’s largest. The monumental construction is gigantic and sprawls across four hectares at the authentic location: it gives spectacular insights into the events of the devastating battle with Napoleon in October 1813, in which over 600,000 soldiers participated and more than 100,000 died. In the foundations, there is a crypt full of depictions of mourning soldiers, whose heavy eyes symbolise their struggle with death. On the second level, there is the Hall of Fame for the German people, and rising above this is the dome. Situated in front of the cenotaph is the “Sea of Tears”, symbolising all the tears shed for victims of the brutal battle. For a phenomenal panorama view, you can climb the 364 steps from the foundation to the top.